DeSean Jackson’s Deep Speed to be Maximized With Carson Wentz in Eagles Reunion

The NFL’s active leader in yards per catch (17.4), DeSean Jackson can still burn. Now shipped to the Eagles for chump change, Jackson could experience the perfect change of scenery for a late-season Renaissance. MVP-candidate Carson Wentz, who is reportedly at full strength, possesses a cannon arm. He and Jackson have already begun forging strong long-ball chemistry in early OTAs, and the results could be beautiful. Falling to 130 overall and beyond, Jackson could be the ultimate “Penny Stock” week-swinger in the right match-ups.

For those who think Jackson has lost a step, he once again led the NFL in yards per catch last season (18.9), his fourth time over his last 10 seasons. He reached 20-plus mph on eight of his 52 touches (15.4 percent) last season, the highest rate in the league, and had the highest average target depth in 2018 at 19.1 yards. Moreover, Jackson had seven catches that went over 30 yards in 2018, including all four of his TDs, ultimately racking up 774 yards despite non-existent chemistry with Jameis Winston. Speaking of rapport: Jackson was the WR8 in Fantasy with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center.

Early on, DJax and Wentz are on the fast track to avoiding any issues. The pair’s chemistry has been “on point,” as the pair “spent the entire offseason” working together. Jackson came away extremely impressed, gushing:

“Obviously he has an arm out of this world, he can throw the deep ball,” Jackson said. “Very smart, very agile. He’s a good quarterback and I just can’t wait to get with him and work out with him in the offseason.”

Deep-ball metrics may not favor Wentz, despite his cannon arm. He ranks 23rd in completion percentage (34 percent) and is tied for 26th in touchdown-to-interception ratio (1.0) on passes of 20-plus yards since 2016 when he came into the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Still, expect Jackson to positively impact these totals: on average, the quarterbacks experienced a completion rate increase of 7 percent, an additional 3 yards per attempt and an improvement of .65 to their touchdown-to-interception ratios when playing alongside Jackson.

Ultimately, the Eagles are receiving one of the league’s premier deep-threats, with a QB with a perfectly equipped arm to capitalize. Expect Jackson to bring plenty of week-swinging blow-ups as an ideal stash after Round 11.

Bottom Line: Pass-catching specialist, who? Christian McCaffrey returned to his college workhorse roots under new OC Norv Turner, and quickly put up Fantasy MVP-worthy numbers. He continued to flash his otherworldly receiving abilities, hauling in an NFL record 106 catches for 875 yards and 6 TDs. Yet where the usage really rose was the carries, as McCaffrey nearly doubled his 2017 total for 215 carries, 1080 yards, and 7 scores. These 321 total touches ranked third behind only Ezekiel Elliott and Saquon Barkley, and this newfound volume created the ultimate ceiling / floor combination. In the process, McCaffrey flashed both the elusiveness, breakaway ability, and most shockingly underrated power to redefine the workhorse model.

​New OC Norv Turner deserves immense credit for this outburst. His previous work with LaDanian Tomlinson proved he wasn't afraid to ride a smaller-back, as he's able to scheme his guys in space and in creative outside gaps versus just blasting them up the gut... but even still, never before had an NFL back played nearly 97% of the team's snaps. Yes, this number inevitably will fall in 2019, but McCaffrey should still hover around 85-90%, especially with Turner returning. Expect a similar buffet of weekly volume with the upside for even more efficiency should the Panthers beef up their line while their explosive young wideouts take a next step forward.

Ceiling Projection: 320 touches (100 rec.), 2,000 Tot. Yds, 13 TDs

Floor Projection*: 270 touches (70 rec.), 1600 Tot. Yds, 7 TDs

Actual Projection: 310 touches (90 rec), 1900 Tot. Yds, 12 TDs

*Note - Floors are done without injuries in mind. Of course the lowest floor is torn ACL first play of scrimmage. This assumes 16 games